The Atheist (play)
Encyclopedia
The Atheist is written by Irish born playwright, Ronan Noone. His previous plays include The Lepers of Baile Baiste (Critics Pick, Boston Globe) and The Blowin of Baile Gall which had its Off-Broadway debut, produced by Gabriel Byrne
, at the Irish art
s Center in New York in 2005. The Blowin of Baile Gall was nominated by the American Theatre Critics Association for the Steinberg New Play Award and won the Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding New Script. In 2003, Noone was chosen by Boston Magazine as the Best Young Playwright of the Year. The subject of The Atheist is not God, but the religion of tabloid journalism
.
Central character Augustine Early drinks Bourbon and recounts his story like a "how to get famous quick" help book. He is both revolting and charismatic - a cartoon take on the tabloid journalist
. Augustine Early self-divulges his story of how he perverted the justice system and preyed on a vulnerable politician in his amoral quest for fame.
As theatre critic Natasha Tripney explains:
. It was directed by David Sullivan, who also directed the Off-broadway The Blowin of Baile Gall at the Irish Arts Center.
on the 16th January 2007. The show was performed by Ben Porter and directed by Ari Edelson.
Ari Edelson founded and is currently Artistic Director of the Old Vic Theatre's Old Vic New Voices US/UK Program, developing new plays in London and New York. His most recent directing credits include Blood Wedding
, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Sexual Perversity in Chicago
(Theatre Project Tokyo), True West
and Tape (Tokyo Globe), Rape of Lucretia (English National Opera, London and Luxembourg). In 2005 he founded the Orchard Project, an international incubator and theatre development centre located in New York. In 2007, Ari took over the role of Producing Artistic Director of The Exchange (formerly Jean Cocteau Rep), one of NY's oldest Off–Broadway companies.
Ben Porter trained at RADA and has worked extensively in theatre both here and abroad. For the National Theatre he has played Billing in Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People
, and Morris Townsend in The Heiress. His West End credits include What the Butler Saw
, Becket
and the National
’s production of The Invention of Love
by Tom Stoppard
, in which he played the poet A. E. Housman
as a young man. He has also appeared in new plays by Howard Barker
, Hugh Whitemore
, and Peter Flannery. Most recently he played Louis in the national tour of Losing Louis.
Gabriel Byrne
Gabriel James Byrne is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, writer, cultural ambassador and audiobook narrator. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined Londo's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's screen debut came in the Irish soap opera The Riordans and the...
, at the Irish art
Irish art
The early history of Irish art is generally considered to begin with early carvings found at sites such as Newgrange and is traced through Bronze Age artefacts, particularly ornamental gold objects, and the religious carvings and illuminated manuscripts of the medieval period...
s Center in New York in 2005. The Blowin of Baile Gall was nominated by the American Theatre Critics Association for the Steinberg New Play Award and won the Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding New Script. In 2003, Noone was chosen by Boston Magazine as the Best Young Playwright of the Year. The subject of The Atheist is not God, but the religion of tabloid journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
.
Plot
The Atheist is a satirical play about catching the perfect front-page headline, whatever the cost. The play follows the story of a cynical US news reporter, clawing his way up the journalistic hierarchy from trailer trash roots to notoriety and celebrity.Central character Augustine Early drinks Bourbon and recounts his story like a "how to get famous quick" help book. He is both revolting and charismatic - a cartoon take on the tabloid journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. Augustine Early self-divulges his story of how he perverted the justice system and preyed on a vulnerable politician in his amoral quest for fame.
As theatre critic Natasha Tripney explains:
Early is an antihero par excellence, an amusing guide through Ronan Noone's skillfully written world of American tabloid-hackery, sex scandals and trailer parks. His dark-hearted monologue is an occasionally filthy, but more importantly, in places it's laugh-out-loud funny; the writing is sharp and novelistic, the characters skillfully sketched.
Early's quest for journalistic gold (and perhaps, just perhaps, a sliver of redemption) sees him encounter a wannabe actress whose tastes in the bedroom tend towards the energetic, a church-going society wife, a rapist and an English newspaper editor.
Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown, Massachusetts
Campbell Scott performed as Augustine Early in The Atheist between June 25-July 6, 2008. The play was directed by Justin Waldman with sets by Cristina Todesco and lights by Ben Stanton.Center Stage, New York
The Atheist was first performed in December at Center Stage, New York. The protagonist Augustine Early was played by Chris PineChris Pine
Christopher Whitelaw "Chris" Pine is an American actor. He has appeared in the romantic comedies The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and Just My Luck , as well as the action films Smokin' Aces and Unstoppable . In 2009, he portrayed James T...
. It was directed by David Sullivan, who also directed the Off-broadway The Blowin of Baile Gall at the Irish Arts Center.
Theatre 503, London
The Atheist's European premiere was at Theatre 503Theatre 503
Theatre503 is located at 503 Battersea Park Road in Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth, above the Latchmere pub. It is a performing arts venue which specialises in new work.-History:...
on the 16th January 2007. The show was performed by Ben Porter and directed by Ari Edelson.
Ari Edelson founded and is currently Artistic Director of the Old Vic Theatre's Old Vic New Voices US/UK Program, developing new plays in London and New York. His most recent directing credits include Blood Wedding
Blood Wedding
Blood Wedding may refer to:* The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, also known as the Paris blood wedding* Blood Wedding , a 1933 play by the Spanish playwright Federico García Lorca* The Ruse blood wedding, a 1910 massacre in Rousse, Bulgaria...
, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Sexual Perversity in Chicago
Sexual Perversity in Chicago
Sexual Perversity in Chicago is a play written by David Mamet that examines the sex lives of two men and two women in the 1970's. The play is filled with profanity and regional jargon that reflects the working-class language of Chicago. The characters' relationships become hindered by the caustic...
(Theatre Project Tokyo), True West
True West
Depending on the context, True West refers to:*True West , Paisley Underground band which flourished in the early 1980s.*True West Magazine, which began publication in 1953.*True West written by Sam Shepard....
and Tape (Tokyo Globe), Rape of Lucretia (English National Opera, London and Luxembourg). In 2005 he founded the Orchard Project, an international incubator and theatre development centre located in New York. In 2007, Ari took over the role of Producing Artistic Director of The Exchange (formerly Jean Cocteau Rep), one of NY's oldest Off–Broadway companies.
Ben Porter trained at RADA and has worked extensively in theatre both here and abroad. For the National Theatre he has played Billing in Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People
An Enemy of the People
An Enemy of the People is an 1882 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Ibsen wrote it in response to the public outcry against his play Ghosts, which at that time was considered scandalous...
, and Morris Townsend in The Heiress. His West End credits include What the Butler Saw
What the Butler Saw (play)
What the Butler Saw is a farce written by English playwright Joe Orton. It premièred at the Queen's Theatre in London on 5 March 1969. It was Orton's final play and the second to be performed after his death, following Funeral Games the year before....
, Becket
Becket
Becket or The Honor of God is a play written in French by Jean Anouilh. It is a depiction of the conflict between Thomas Becket and King Henry II of England leading to Becket's murder in 1170. It contains many historical inaccuracies, which the author acknowledged.-Background:Anouilh's...
and the National
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
’s production of The Invention of Love
The Invention of Love
The Invention of Love is a 1997 play by Tom Stoppard portraying the life of poet A.E. Housman, focusing specifically on his personal life and love for a college classmate. The play is written from the viewpoint of Housman dealing with his memories towards the end of his life and contains many...
by Tom Stoppard
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...
, in which he played the poet A. E. Housman
A. E. Housman
Alfred Edward Housman , usually known as A. E. Housman, was an English classical scholar and poet, best known to the general public for his cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad. Lyrical and almost epigrammatic in form, the poems were mostly written before 1900...
as a young man. He has also appeared in new plays by Howard Barker
Howard Barker
Howard E. Barker is a British playwright.-The Theatre of Catastrophe :Barker has coined the term "Theatre of Catastrophe" to describe his work...
, Hugh Whitemore
Hugh Whitemore
Hugh Whitemore is an English playwright and screenwriter.Whitemore studied for the stage at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he is now a Member of the Council. He began his writing career in British television with both original teleplays and adaptations of classic works by Charles...
, and Peter Flannery. Most recently he played Louis in the national tour of Losing Louis.